The Life of Trust by George Mller edited by H Lincoln Wayland

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Title: The Life of Trust: Being a Narrative of the Lord's Dealings With George Müller

Author: George Müller

Editor: H. Lincoln Wayland

Release Date: November 17, 2008 [EBook #27288]

Language: English

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ASHLEY DOWN ORPHAN HOUSES, BRISTOL, ENG.

ASHLEY DOWN ORPHAN HOUSES, BRISTOL, ENG.

THE

LIFE OF TRUST:

BEING A

N A R R AT I V E O F T H E L O R D ’ S D E A L I N G S

WITH

GEORGE MÜLLER,

WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.

ED I TED AN D CON D EN S ED B Y

REV. H. LINCOLN WAYLAND,

PASTOR OF THE THIRD BAPTIST CHURCH, WORCESTER, MASS.

With an Introduction

BY

F R AN C IS WAYLAN D .

BOSTON:

GO ULD AN D LI N C O LN ,

59 WASHINGTON STREET.

NEW YORK: SHELDON AND COMPANY.
CINCINNATI: GEORGE S. BLANCHARD.

1861.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1860, by

GOULD AND LINCOLN,

In the Clerk’s office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY

GEO. C. RAND AND AVERY, 3 CORNHILL.

EDITOR’S PREFACE.

Having been requested by Messrs. Gould and Lincoln to examine the work entitled “A Narrative of some of the
Lord’s Dealings with George Müller,” the Editor was convinced that its republication in this country would greatly
promote the piety of American Christians. But to reproduce the work in its original form was attended with difficulty.
The “Narrative,” in four parts, (published respectively in 1837, 1841, 1845, and 1856,) and the four “Annual Reports”
issued in 1857, 1858, 1859, and 1860, would occupy not less than eighteen hundred pages of the size of those
contained in this volume. The cost of such a work would greatly limit its circulation and its usefulness, if indeed any
publisher should undertake its issue. There seemed no alternative except to abandon the idea of an American edition
altogether, or to present it to the public in a condensed form.

Such a condensation seemed, on examination, to be entirely practicable. Owing to the “Parts” of the “Narrative” having
been published at four separate periods, it often happens that the same matter is several times repeated. A large portion
of the space is occupied with the acknowledgment of donations received. These entries, although appropriate in a
report made to the donors and to the British public, have not the same interest for American readers. The discussion of
some points in church polity, and the account of the Author’s journeys upon the Continent, though interesting and
instructive, are not necessary to the continuity of the history. Although in some cases the portions which have been
omitted cover a considerable period of time, yet it is believed that all which is essential has been retained. No pains
have been spared on the part of the Editor to preserve the value of the work while reducing its compass, and to give, in
a form universally accessible, a clear exhibition of the wonderful results of the life of George Müller, as well as of the
principles by which his life has been governed.

Believing that the book would be rendered more attractive to the reader, and more convenient for reference, the Editor
has divided it into Chapters, and has prefixed to each a brief statement of some of the leading subjects introduced in the
Chapter. For these “contents,” as well as for the headings of the Chapters, and for the general title of the volume, the

[v]

[vi]

Editor alone is responsible.

The “Narrative” of George Müller has been blessed in other lands to the awakening of spiritual life. It was the means, as
will be observed by the reader, of greatly forwarding, if not of originating, the work of grace now advancing in Ireland.
“The Life of Trust” is submitted to the Christian public of America, in the hope that its still small voice may be heard
even amid the clangor of political strife and the revulsion of commercial interests, and that it may be used by the Divine
Spirit to promote and strengthen in the hearts of American Christians, Faith in the Living God.

H. L. W.

Worcester, Dec. 12, 1860

AUTHOR’S PREFACE.

It was only after the consideration of many months, and after much self-examination as to my motives, and after much
earnest prayer, that I came to the conclusion to write this work. I have not taken one single step in the Lord’s service
concerning which I have prayed so much. My great dislike to increasing the number of religious books would, in itself,
have been sufficient to have kept me forever from it, had I not cherished the hope of being instrumental in this way to
lead some of my brethren to value the Holy Scriptures more, and to judge by the standard of the Word of God the
principles on which they act. But that which weighed more with me than anything, was, that I have reason to believe,
from what I have seen among the children of God, that many of their trials arise either from want of confidence in the
Lord as it regards temporal things, or from carrying on their business in an unscriptural way. On account, therefore, of
the remarkable way in which the Lord has dealt with me as to temporal things, I feel that I am a debtor to the church of
Christ, and that I ought, for the benefit of my poorer brethren especially, to make known the way in which I have been
led. In addition to this, I know that to many souls the Lord has blessed what I have told them about the way in which he
has led me, and therefore it seemed a duty to use such means, whereby others also, with whom I could not possibly
converse, might be benefited. That which induced me finally to determine to write this Narrative was, that if the Lord
should permit the book to sell, I might, by the profits arising from the sale, be enabled in a greater degree to help the
poor brethren and sisters among whom I labor;—a matter which, just at that time, weighed much on my mind. I
therefore began to write. But after three days I was obliged to lay the work aside on account of my other pressing
engagements. Subsequently, I was laid aside on account of an abscess; and being unable, for many weeks, to walk
about as usual, though able to work at home, I had time for writing. When the manuscript was nearly completed I gave
it to a brother to look over, that I might have his judgment; and the Lord so refreshed his spirit through it, that he offered
to advance the means for having it printed, with the understanding that if the book should not sell he would never
consider me his debtor. By this offer not a small obstacle was removed, as I have no means of my own to defray the
expense of printing. These last two circumstances, connected with many other points, confirmed me that I had not been
mistaken, when I came to the conclusion that it was the will of God that I should serve his church in this way.

The fact of my being a foreigner, and therefore but very imperfectly acquainted with the English language, I judged to be
no sufficient reason for keeping me from writing. The Christian reader, being acquainted with this fact, will candidly
excuse any inaccuracy of expression.

For the poor among the brethren this Narrative is especially intended, and to their prayers I commend it in particular.

GEORGE MÜLLER.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I.

Boyhood and Youth.

1805-1825.

BIRTH--EARLY
DISHONESTY--INSENSIBILITY--

CONFIRMATION IN THE STATE CHURCH--DISSOLUTENESS
OF
LIFE--THE
HARD
WAY
OF TRANSGRESSORS--THE

GYMNASIUM AT NORDHAUSEN--THE UNIVERSITY AT HALLE-
-ROVINGS

CHAPTER II.

The Prodigal’s Return.

[vii]

[viii]

[ix]

XV

31

1825-1826.

A TREASURE FOUND--DAWNING OF THE NEW LIFE--THE
PEACE OF GOD--“I AM COME TO SET A MAN AT VARIANCE
AGAINST
HIS FATHER”--“LET HIM THAT HEARETH SAY,

COME”--THE
FIRST SERMON--DELIGHT IN THE LORD--A

COMMON ERROR--THE FOUNTAIN NEGLECTED

CHAPTER III.
Self-Dedication.

1826-1829.

DESIRE FOR MISSIONARY LABOR--PROVIDENTIAL RELEASE
FROM MILITARY SERVICE--VISIT AT HOME--LED TO THE
LAND OF HIS FUTURE LABORS--PROGRESS IN RELIGIOUS
KNOWLEDGE--DESIRE FOR IMMEDIATE USEFULNESS

CHAPTER IV.

Leaning on Jesus.

1830-1832.

A DOOR OPENED--TOKENS FOR GOOD--TRUST EXERCISED
IN THE STUDY AND MINISTRY OF THE WORD--THE SWORD
OF THE SPIRIT--TRUSTING IN GOD FOR DAILY BREAD--
BLESSEDNESS OF WAITING UPON THE LORD--“OWE NO
MAN”--“ACCORDING TO YOUR
FAITH BE IT UNTO YOU”--THE

GIFT OF FAITH AND THE GRACE OF FAITH

CHAPTER V.

Ministry at Bristol Begun.

1832-1833.

“HERE HAVE WE NO CONTINUING CITY”--CAUTION TO THE
CHRISTIAN TRAVELLER--NEW TOKENS FOR GOOD--THE
WAY MADE CLEAR--MEETINGS FOR INQUIRY--NO RESPECT
OF PERSONS WITH GOD--FRANCKE, “BEING DEAD, YET
SPEAKETH”--DAILY BREAD SUPPLIED--A PECULIAR PEOPLE

CHAPTER VI.

The Scriptural Knowledge Institution.

1834-1835.

UNSCRIPTURAL CHARACTER OF THE EXISTING RELIGIOUS
A N D BENEVOLENT
SOCIETIES--A
NEW
INSTITUTION

PROPOSED--GOD’S WORD THE ONLY RULE, AND GOD'S
PROMISE THE ONLY DEPENDENCE--“IN EVERYTHING LET
YOUR REQUEST BE MADE KNOWN UNTO GOD”--EARNEST OF
THE
DIVINE
BLESSING
ON
THE
INSTITUTION--

BEREAVEMENT--HELPER SEASONABLY SENT--REWARD
OF

SEEKING GOD’S FACE

CHAPTER VII.

Home for Destitute Orphans.

1835-1836.

FRANKE’S WORKS FOLLOW HIM--A GREAT UNDERTAKING
CONCEIVED--REASONS FOR ESTABLISHING AN ORPHAN
HOUSE--PRAYER FOR GUIDANCE--TREASURE LAID UP IN
HEAVEN IN PRAYER AND IN FAITH THE WORK IS BEGUN

CHAPTER VIII.

The Field Widening.

1836-1837.

38

47

58

80

94

111

AN UNEXPECTED OBSTACLE--IMPLICIT SUBMISSION--A
SECOND ORPHAN HOUSE PROPOSED--AN ENCOURAGING
TEXT--THE
NEW ORPHAN HOUSE OPENED--COMPLETED

ANSWER TO PRAYER--PROGRESS
OF THE LORD’S WORK--

THE OVERSIGHT OF THE FLOCK

CHAPTER IX.

Trial.
1838.

THE MINISTRY OF SICKNESS--PEACE OF MIND--JESUS A
PRESENT HELP--DEEP POVERTY--PLEADING WITH GOD--
UNITED PRAYER

CHAPTER X.
Deliverance.

1838.

“PERPLEXED BUT NOT IN DESPAIR”--FAITH JUSTIFIED--A
LESSON OF OBEDIENCE--BOUNTIFUL SUPPLIES--SPIRITUAL
INGATHERING--A DAY OF MERCIES--TIMELY AID--A SEASON
OF PLENTY--OBEDIENCE REWARDED

CHAPTER XI.

Asking and Receiving.

1839.

HELP FOR THE POOR SAINTS--THE UNFAILING BANK--
MEANS EXHAUSTED--LIBERALITY OF A LABORING SISTER-
-“HE
KNOWETH OUR FRAME”--REDEEMING THE TIME--

GODLINESS PROFITABLE UNTO ALL THINGS

CHAPTER XII.
Plenty and Want.

1840.

A PURE OFFERING REQUIRED--A JOURNEY PROPOSED--
SEASONABLE PROVISION--LOOKING ONLY TO THE LORD--
THE
WRATH
OF
MAN PRAISING GOD--A PROMISE

FULFILLED--BENEFIT OF TRIAL--NEW
SPRINGS OPENED--

BEFORE THEY CALL I WILL ANSWER--TRUST IN
GOD

COMMENDED--SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS

CHAPTER XIII.

Faith Strengthened by Exercise.

1841.

A WANT SUPPLIED--RESOURCES EXCEEDING THE DEMAND--
EVIL OF SURETYSHIP--POWER OF CHRISTIAN LOVE--GOD’S
WORD THE FOOD OF THE SOUL--PREPARATION FOR THE
HOUR
OF TRIAL--POVERTY--DEPENDING ONLY ON THE

LIVING GOD

CHAPTER XIV.

Walking in Darkness.

1841-1842.

“GOD'S
WAY
LEADS
INTO
TRIAL”--GROUNDS
OF

THANKFULNESS--PROTRACTED DARKNESS--CAST DOWN,
BUT NOT DESTROYED--TRUST IN GOD COMMENDED--THE
MEANS OF ITS ATTAINMENT--REVIEW OF THE WORK

CHAPTER XV.

Prosperity.

125

138

151

167

181

200

214

1842-1843.

ABUNDANT SUPPLIES--RESTING ON THE WRITTEN WORD-
-“SEEKING AND
FINDING”--ERRONEOUS
IMPRESSIONS

REMOVED--PERSEVERING
AND
PREVAILING
PRAYER

ANSWERED--“LENGTHENING
THE
CORDS
AND

STRENGTHENING THE STAKES”--A FOURTH ORPHAN HOUSE

CHAPTER XVI.

Stewardship.

1844.

EARTHLY AND HEAVENLY TREASURES--SEEKING THE
KINGDOM OF GOD--FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER--THE
CHRISTIAN MERCHANT--EXAMPLES--MISTAKES

CHAPTER XVII.

Reaping Bountifully.

1845-1846.

AN
UNEXPECTED
REQUEST--DELIBERATION--A
GREAT

UNDERTAKING--RELIANCE ON THE RESOURCES OF THE
LIVING GOD--AN ANSWER EXPECTED AND RECEIVED--
PRAYER FOR FAITH AND PATIENCE--FURTHER PROOFS OF
DIVINE FAVOR--THE BLESSEDNESS OF DEVISING LIBERAL
THINGS

CHAPTER XVIII.

Faith Confirmed by Prosperity.

1846-1848.

THE SPIRIT OF SUPPLICATION BESTOWED AND PRAYER
ANSWERED--THE TIME OF MAN’S NEED AND OF GOD’S
BOUNTY--FAITH NOT SHAKEN--DEALING ONLY WITH GOD--
T H E NEEDED AMOUNT FURNISHED--PERPETUAL “NEED”--
NOT WEARY IN GOD'S WORK--JOY IN ANSWERED PRAYER--
FOUR
REQUESTS GRANTED--“CONTINUING INSTANT IN

PRAYER”--THE
BUILDING
COMMENCED--PERSONAL

HISTORY--A MARKED DELIVERANCE

CHAPTER XIX.

Continued Mercies.

1848-1850.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS--DEVISING LIBERAL THINGS--THE
ORPHANS PROVIDED FOR--A MEMORABLE DAY--MONEY “AT
INTEREST”--MEANS FROM AN UNEXPECTED SOURCE--THE
PROGRESS OF THE NEW ORPHAN
HOUSE--MEANS PROVIDED

FOR ITS COMPLETION--INEXPRESSIBLE
DELIGHT IN GOD--

REVIEW OF THE TWO YEARS PAST

CHAPTER XX.

A New Victory of Faith.

1850-1851.

PAST
MERCIES
AN
ENCOURAGEMENT
TO
NEW

UNDERTAKINGS--A HOUSE FOR SEVEN HUNDRED ORPHANS
PROPOSED--WALKING BY FAITH--COUNSEL SOUGHT FROM
GOD--THE PURPOSE FORMED--DELIGHT IN THE MAGNITUDE
AND DIFFICULTY OF THE DESIGN

CHAPTER XXI.

Unvarying Prosperity.

1850-1852.

241

259

294

319

347

364

DESIRES FOR MORE ENLARGED USEFULNESS GRATIFIED--A
LARGE DONATION ANTICIPATED AND RECEIVED--REVIEW
OF 1851--PERSONAL EXPERIENCE--BUILDING FUND FOR THE
SECOND NEW ORPHAN HOUSE--DOUBT RESISTED--WAITING
ON GOD NOT IN VAIN--REVIEW OF 1852

CHAPTER XXII.
Reaping in Joy.

1852-1854.

EXPECTING GREAT THINGS FROM GOD--MUNIFICENT
DONATION--INCREASING USEFULNESS OF THE SCRIPTURAL
KNOWLEDGE INSTITUTION--ACCESS TO GOD THROUGH
FAITH
IN CHRIST--A VOICE FROM MOUNT LEBANON--

BENEFIT OF WAITING GOD’S TIME--CAREFUL STEWARDSHIP-
-FAITH, THE ONLY RELIANCE--“THIS POOR WIDOW HATH
CAST IN MORE THAN THEY
ALL”--GREATER ACHIEVEMENTS

OF
FAITH
ANTICIPATED--COUNSEL
TO
TRACT

DISTRIBUTORS--A NEW AND SEVERE TRIAL OF FAITH

CHAPTER XXIII.

Three Years of Prosperity.

1854-1857.

THE SITE SELECTED--SIX THOUSAND ORPHANS IN PRISON--
HOW TO ASK FOR DAILY BREAD--REVIEW OF TWENTY-FOUR
YEARS--“TAKE NO
THOUGHT
FOR
THE
MORROW”--

INSURANCE AGAINST BAD DEBTS

CHAPTER XXIV.

Conclusion.

1857-1860.

THE HOUSE FOR FOUR HUNDRED OPENED--PRAYER MORE
T H A N ANSWERED--THE
RESORT
IN
TROUBLE--AN

OUTPOURING OF THE SPIRIT ON THE ORPHANS--LAND FOR
A NEW BUILDING PURCHASED--“BUT ONE LIFE TO SPEND
FOR
GOD”--“SCATTERING, YET
INCREASING”--A

MEMORABLE YEAR--THE GERM OF THE IRISH
REVIVAL--

LETTER FROM AN ORPHAN--THE FRUIT OF SIX MONTHS’
PRAYER--THE RESULTS OF THE WORK--REVIVAL AMONG
THE ORPHANS

APPENDIX

INTRODUCTION.

What is meant by the prayer of faith? is a question which is beginning to arrest, in an unusual degree, the attention of
Christians. What is the significance of the passages both in the New Testament and the Old which refer to it? What is
the limit within which they may be safely received as a ground of practical reliance? Were these promises limited to
prophetical or apostolical times; or have they been left as a legacy to all believers until the end shall come?

Somehow or other, these questions are seldom discussed either from the pulpit or the press. I do not remember to have
heard any of them distinctly treated of in a sermon. I do not know of any work in which this subject is either
theoretically explained or practically enforced. It really seems as if this portion of Revelation was, by common consent,
ignored in all our public teachings. Do not men believe that God means what he appears plainly to have asserted? or, if
we believe that he means it, do we fear the charge of fanaticism if we openly avow that we take him at his word?

The public silence on this subject does not, however, prevent a very frequent private inquiry in respect to it. The
thoughtful Christian, when in his daily reading of the Scriptures he meets with any of those wonderful promises made to
believing prayer, often pauses to ask himself, What can these words mean? Can it be that God has made such promises
as these to me, and to such men as I am? Have I really permission to commit all my little affairs to a God of infinite
wisdom, believing that he will take charge of them and direct them according to the promptings of boundless love and

389

402

426

446

473

[xv]

[xvi]

absolute omniscience? Is prayer really a power with God, or is it merely an expedient by which our own piety may be
cultivated? Is it not merely a power (that is, a stated antecedent accompanied by the idea of causation), but is it a
transcendent power, accomplishing what no other power can, over-ruling all other agencies, and rendering them
subservient to its own wonderful efficiency? I think there are few devout readers of the Bible to whom these questions
are not frequently suggested. We ask them, but we do not often wait for an answer. These promises seem to us to be
addressed either to a past or to a coming age, but not to us, at the present day. Yet with such views as these the devout
soul is not at all satisfied. If an invaluable treasure is here reserved for the believer, he asks, why should I not receive my
portion of it? He cannot doubt that God has in a remarkable manner, at various times, answered his prayers; why
should he not always answer them? and why should not the believer always draw near to God in full confidence that he
will do as he has said? He may remember that the prayer which has been manifestly answered was the offspring of deep
humility, of conscious unworthiness, of utter self-negation, and of simple and earnest reliance on the promises of God
through the mediation of Christ. Why should not his prayers be always of the same character? With the apostles of old
he pours out his soul in the petition, “Lord, increase our faith.”

And yet it can scarcely be denied that the will of God has been distinctly revealed on this subject. The promises made
to believing prayer are explicit, numerous, and diversified. If we take them in their simple and literal meaning, or if in fact
we give to them any reasonable interpretation whatever, they seem to be easily understood. Our difficulty seems to be
this: the promise is so “exceeding great” that we cannot conceive God really to mean what he clearly appears to have
revealed. The blessing seems too vast for our comprehension; we “stagger at the promises, through unbelief,” and thus
fail to secure the treasure which was purchased for us by Christ Jesus.

It may be appropriate for us to review some of the passages which refer most directly to this subject:—

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for every one that
asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” “If ye then, being evil,
know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things
to them that ask him.”[1]

In the Gospel of Luke the same words are repeated, with a single variation at the close. “If ye, being evil, know how to
give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
him.”[2]

“I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them
of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of
them.”[3]

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do that
which is done to the fig-tree, but also ye shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and
it shall be done. And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”[4]

The same promise, slightly varied in form, is found in the Gospel of Mark. “Have faith in God. For verily I say unto
you that whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his
heart, but shall believe that those things which he hath said shall come to pass, he shall have whatever he saith.
Therefore I say unto you, Whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have
them.”[5]

Now I do not pretend that we are obliged to receive these words literally. Unless, however, we believe the Saviour to
have spoken repeatedly on the same subject, at random, and with no definite meaning, we must understand him to have
asserted that things impossible by the ordinary laws of material causation are possible by faith in God. I do not perceive,
if we allow these words to have any meaning whatever, that we can ascribe to them any other significance.

“Verily I say unto you, He that believeth in me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall
he do, because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name I will do it.”[6]

“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto ye have asked
nothing in my name. Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”[7]

“The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much;”[8] that is, it is a real power, a positive energy. The
apostle illustrates what he means by availing prayer by the example of Elias, a man subject to like passions as we are:
“He prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months; and
he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”[9]

The conditions on which prayer will be heard are in various places specified, but particularly in John xv. 7: “If ye abide
in me and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” That is, if I understand the
passage, prevalence in prayer is conditioned by the conformity of our souls to the will of God; “if ye abide in me and my
words abide in you.” On this condition, and on this only, may we ask what we will, with the assurance that it will be
done unto us. Faith, in its most simple meaning, is that temper of the mind in the creature which responds to every
revealed perfection of the Creator. Just according to the degree in which this correspondence exists, is the promise
made that we shall have whatsoever we ask.

[xvii]

[xviii]

[xix]

It is evident, from the eleventh of Hebrews, that the views of the Apostle Paul concerning faith were entirely in harmony
with the passages recited above. He reviews the lives of the most eminent saints, for the express purpose of showing
that the impressive events in their history, whether physical or moral, were controlled entirely by faith. He sums up the
whole in this remarkable language:—

“And what shall I say more? For the time would fail me to tell of those who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the
sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens; women
received their dead raised to life again; and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a
better resurrection.” We are, I think, taught by this passage that the apostle believed faith to be a power capable of
transcending and modifying every other agency, by which changes became possible which to every other known power
were impossible. We see that in this catalogue of the victories of faith he includes the subjection of almost every form of
what we call natural laws. The whole passage seems an illustration of the meaning of our Lord, when he says, “If ye
have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say to this sycamine tree, Be thou removed and planted in the midst of the
sea, and it shall obey you.”

It seems then apparent that the doctrine of the peculiar and wonderful power of the prayer of faith is as clearly revealed
in the Scriptures as any other doctrine. It would seem evident, at any rate, from the passages just quoted, that the
Apostle Paul understood the teachings of our Saviour to mean what they say. From the general tenor of the Scriptures I
think we may learn two important truths: First, that there is a certain state of mind in a devout soul to which God has
promised all that it asks, subject, however, as to the manner of the answer, to the dictates of his infinite wisdom and
goodness; and, second, that in granting such petitions he does not always limit his action within the ordinary or
acknowledged laws of matter or of mind. I do not perceive how we can interpret the passages above cited, as well as
many others, without giving them a meaning at least as extensive as this.

Why is it, then, that this whole range of revealed truth has so generally been looked upon as an unknown and
unexplored region? Why should we limit either the goodness or the power of God by our own knowledge of what we
call the laws of nature? Why should we not admit that “there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in
our philosophy”? In a universe governed by moral law, why should not moral laws take precedence of all others? Why
should we deny that there is a power in prayer to which we have not commonly attained? We are straitened in
ourselves, and suppose that we are straitened in God. We interpret the gracious promises of our most loving Father in
heaven by the rule of our own imperfect and unbelieving piety. We ask for light from without, while the light can only
come from a more elevated piety within. We ask for examples of the effects of faith at the present day, corresponding
to those spoken of in the sacred Scriptures. Thoughtful men acknowledge that there must be a meaning in these
promises, which they have not yet understood, and they see plainly that the kingdom of God can never come with
power until this prevalence in prayer shall have become a matter of universal attainment; and yet they dare hardly
believe that God is as good as he has revealed himself to be.

There have, nevertheless, from time to time, occurred, what plainly appear to be, remarkable instances of answers to
prayer. Many of them have faded from recollection, with the generation in which they occurred; those which are
remembered, however, seem to teach us that God is a living God now as truly as in times past. The history of
persecutions is always filled with remarkable answers to prayer. The rescue of Peter from the power of the Sanhedrim
in one case, and from the power of Herod in another, has been a thousand times repeated in the history of the church of
Christ. The answer to prayer for divine direction as to the time and manner of performing some Christian service, to
which an individual has felt himself specially called, has frequently been very remarkable. The biographies of the early
and of many of the later Friends are replete with such instances. Any one who will read the edifying memoirs of George
Fox, John Woolman, William Allen, and Stephen Grellet, will find what I have alluded to abundantly exemplified. The
well-authenticated accounts of the late revivals in this country and in Ireland teach us that most remarkable instances of
answers to prayer were of almost daily occurrence. In the last century a single instance deserves particular
remembrance; it was the founding of Franke’s Orphan House at Halle. It seemed to him to be a Christian duty to
attempt something for the relief of orphans, and he commenced the undertaking. From time to time, as the number of
applicants increased, the means for their support was provided, in answer, as he firmly believed, to fervent and
unceasing prayer. Thus an extensive establishment was reared, which has continued to the present day, providing
education and support for thousands of the poor and destitute, and it has been for a century and a half one of the most
honored of the charitable institutions of the continent of Europe.

The most remarkable instance of the efficacy of prayer with which I am acquainted, is that recorded in the following
pages. It seems, in fact, to be a practical illustration of the meaning of those passages of Scripture which I have already
recited. A young German Christian, friendless and unknown, is conscious of what he believes to be a call from the Lord
to attempt something for the benefit of the poor vagabond children of Bristol. He is at this time preaching the gospel to a
small company of believers, from whom, at his own suggestion, he receives no salary, being supported day by day by
the voluntary offerings of his brethren. Without the promise of aid from any being but God, he commences his work. In
answer to prayer, funds are received as they are needed, and the attempt succeeds beyond his expectation. After a few
years he is led to believe that God has called him to establish a house for the maintenance and education of orphans. He
was impelled to this effort, not only from motives of benevolence, but from a desire to convince men that God was a
living God, as ready now as ever to answer prayer; and that, in the discharge of any duty to which he calls us, we may
implicitly rely upon his all-sufficient aid in every emergency.

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Mr. Müller was led to undertake this work in such a manner that aid could not be expected from any being but God.
He did not of course expect God to create gold and silver and put them into his hands. He knew, however, that God
could incline the hearts of men to aid him, and he believed, if the thing that he attempted was of Him, that he would so
incline them, in answer to prayer, as his necessities should require. Most men in making such an attempt would have
spread the case before the public, employed agents to solicit in its behalf, and undertaken nothing until funds adequate
to the success of the enterprise had been already secured. But Mr. Müller, true to his principles, would do no such
thing. From the first day to the present moment he has neither directly nor indirectly solicited either of the public or of an
individual a single penny. As necessities arose he simply laid his case before God and asked of him all that he needed,
and the supply has always been seasonable and unfailing.

The conductors of benevolent enterprises generally consider it important to publish the names of donors, appealing thus
to what is considered an innocent desire in man to let our good deeds be known, and thus also to stimulate others to do
likewise. Ignoring every motive of this kind, Mr. Müller made it his rule to publish the name of no contributor. When the
name was known to him, which, however, was not often the case, he made a private acknowledgment; while in his
printed account he only made known the sum received, and the date of its reception. In this manner, forsaking every
other reliance but God, and in childlike simplicity looking to him alone for the supply of every want, all that he needed
was furnished as punctually as if, in possession of millions, he had drawn from time to time on his banker.

Thus has he continued from, I think, the year 1834. By degrees the establishment increased, and it was necessary to
leave the hired houses in which the children had thus far been accommodated. Land was purchased, and a building was
erected in the vicinity of Bristol. This was soon filled to overflowing, and another building was demanded. This was
erected, and it also was very soon filled. These buildings were sufficient to accommodate seven hundred orphans. At
the present moment, a third building, larger than either, is in the process of erection, and is to be finished in the course of
the ensuing summer. When this shall be completed, accommodations will have been provided for eleven hundred and
fifty orphans. These expensive buildings have been erected; the land has been purchased on which they stand; this
multitude of children has been clothed and fed and educated; support and remuneration have been provided for all the
necessary teachers and assistants, and all this has been done by a man who is not worth a dollar. He has never asked
any one but God for whatever they needed, and from the beginning they have never wanted a meal, nor have they ever
allowed themselves to be in debt. There seems in this to be something as remarkable as if Mr. Müller had commanded
a sycamine tree to be removed and planted in the sea, and it had obeyed him.

But this is not all. Mr. Müller saw that there was a great demand for copies of the Holy Scriptures, both in Great Britain
and on the Continent, and he commenced the work of Bible distribution. This so rapidly extended itself that he was
soon obliged to open in Bristol a large Bible House. He believed that great good might be done by the circulation of
religious tracts, and he has carried on this work extensively. He was moved to make an attempt to aid and even to
support missionaries among the heathen, as well as other good men, of various denominations, who, with very
inadequate means of living, were preaching the gospel to the poor and destitute at home. He began to aid them as their
necessities came to his knowledge, and now one hundred such men are depending on him, wholly or in part, for
support.

Here, then, we certainly behold a remarkable phenomenon. A single man, wholly destitute of funds, is supporting and
educating seven hundred orphans, providing everything needful for their education, is in himself an extensive Bible and
Tract and Missionary Society, the work is daily increasing in magnitude, and the means for carrying it on are abundantly
supplied, while he is connected with no particular denomination, is aided by no voluntary association, and he has asked
the assistance of not a single individual. He has asked no one but God, and all his wants have been regularly supplied. In
these labors of love he has, up to the present time, expended nearly a million of dollars. It is thus that he has endeavored
to show to an unbelieving world that God is a living God, and that he means what he has said in every one of his
promises.[10]

I have referred to Mr. Müller as if he were the sole agent in this work. This, however, is by no means true. His co-
workers in the Institution are all of the same spirit as himself. Mr. Craik, a gentleman from Scotland, has been with him
from the beginning, has shared in all the labors and responsibilities of these vast undertakings, and has been specially
blessed as a preacher of the gospel. The remuneration of all the assistants is contingent on the means received in answer
to prayer. When sacrifices are to be made, they are all prompt to make them, and they do not expect an answer to
prayer until they have contributed, from their own scanty wages, whatever can be spared after providing for their actual
necessities.

The last Report of Mr. Müller’s labors has just been received. From this we learn another interesting fact. It seems that
the late revival in Ireland is indirectly connected with these labors in Bristol. A pious young Irishman read “The Dealings
of the Lord with George Müller,” and received from it new views of the power of believing prayer. He felt the need of
prayer for the perishing around him, and determined by prayer and conversation to labor for their salvation. First,
however, he asked that God would give him an associate. This prayer was granted. These two then united in earnest
prayer for some additions to their number. This prayer was granted. In this manner a small company was united in
asking for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on their neighborhood. They devoted themselves to prayer and to labor
among the people by whom they were surrounded. Their prayers were answered. The Spirit was poured out; twenty-
five souls were converted. Multitudes united with them in supplication. They went from place to place, praying and
laboring for the conversion of men; and thus the work extended, until the whole district of Ulster was visited with that

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remarkable outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

All these we suppose to be indisputable facts. If in any respect there has been a misstatement, or even an exaggeration,
the means are abundant for detecting it. The whole work has been carried on in the presence and under the inspection
of the whole city of Bristol. There stand those large and expensive buildings. There are seen the seven hundred orphans
who are in every respect admirably cared for. Everything has been paid for, for Mr. Müller is never in debt. His poverty
is well known, and he will not accept of any money as a provision for his future necessities. His accounts have been
annually audited by a competent committee. There is not the man living who can contradict his assertion, “I never asked
aid from a single individual.” Hundreds weekly visit the Institution, and no one has ever found in it anything at variance
with Mr. Müller’s published statements. Last of all, the Rev. Dr. Sawtelle, a gentleman known to thousands in this
country, has added his independent testimony to the truth of all that is here related. More conclusive evidence to the
truth of facts cannot be desired.

To account for a fact is to refer it to some general law whose existence is already established. When it is therefore
asked, How shall these facts be accounted for? we inquire, to what known law can they be referred? They cannot
certainly be referred to any known law of human action. How would we decide if a similar case should occur in
physics? Suppose a series of experiments should be made daily for twenty-five years in chemistry or mechanics, with
the same invariable result, and this result could be referred to no previously established law,—to what conclusion should
we arrive? There could be but one conclusion, in which all men of science would unite. They would all declare that a
new law had been discovered, and would modify their systems accordingly. It seems to me that on all sound
philosophical principles we are bound to come to the same conclusion in the present case. We can refer these facts to
no other law than to that announced by the Saviour in his promise to answer the prayer of faith. There is no reason to
suppose that in the case of Mr. Müller and his associates there is anything exceptional or peculiar. What God has done
for them we cannot doubt that, under the same conditions, he will do for every other believing disciple of Christ.

What, then, are the conditions of this remarkable experiment, if such we may call it? They are something like the
following. A poor and unknown man is convinced that it is his duty, as a servant of Christ, to labor in several ways for
the relief of the temporal and spiritual wants of the ignorant and destitute. He consecrates himself to the work by
dedicating to it his time and labor, and whatever pecuniary means should come into his possession. He resolved that he
would neither appeal to any of the ordinary motives which dispose men to humanity, nor even solicit aid from any
human being, but simply make his wants known to God, believing that, if he was doing the work of God, the divine
promise was pledged in his behalf. Not only did he trust in God that all the pecuniary aid which he needed would be
furnished, but that, in answer to prayer, all needed wisdom would be given him in the conduct of his complicated and
arduous undertakings. The result has met his most sanguine expectations. The institution has increased to a most
magnificent charity, aside from its missionary, Bible, and tract operations; all its wants have been from time to time
supplied; and it is at the present moment carried on upon precisely the same principles on which it commenced. We
cannot resist the conclusion that if any one will undertake any other Christian work in a similar spirit, and on the same
principles, his labor will be attended with a similar result.

While we believe this, however, we do not pretend to affirm that just such immediate results will always be seen. This
would be to limit the omniscience of God by the short-sighted ignorance of man. It may best suit the purposes of infinite
goodness to answer the prayer of faith by crosses and disappointments; but these in the end shall be found in the most
signal manner to promote the object to be accomplished. While the disciples were praying and laboring for the
extension of the kingdom of Christ in Jerusalem, it seemed a strange answer to prayer that they should be driven out of
the city; but the meaning of it was evident when churches arose in Phenice and Cyprus and Antioch, and it became
manifest that the gospel was designed not for Jews alone; but for the whole family of man. Paul devoted himself with
unquenchable zeal to the salvation of men, and, with a fervid eloquence which has given him a place among the noblest
orators of antiquity, delighted to spend his life in persuading men to be reconciled to God. He was a man whose
confidence in God was as unshaken as any whose history has been recorded by the pen of inspiration. It doubtless was
to the disciples of that age, as well as to himself, a most unaccountable dispensation that he should have been impeded
in his great work by the necessity of composing dissensions and rectifying errors which were constantly arising in the
churches which he had planted, and, most of all, that so many years of his life should have been spent in prison. Yet it is
to these, at the time untoward circumstances, that we owe the writing of those epistles which occupy so large a portion
of the volume of inspiration, and without which the message of God to man would not have been completed. In no other
way could his prayer to be useful to the cause of Christ have been so fully answered.

With this understanding of the promise granted to the prayer of faith, I do not see why we should not take the case of
Mr. Müller as an example for our imitation. Whoever attains to this same simple desire in all things to do the will of
God, and to the same childlike trust in his promises, may, I think, hope for a similar blessing. God is no respecter of
persons. “If any man do his will, him he heareth.” And all the teaching of the Scriptures confirms us in this belief. The
passages which we have quoted at the commencement of this paper, with hundreds of others, all lead to the same
conclusion. In the Scriptures every form of illustration is used to impress upon us the conviction that God is indeed our
Father, and that he delights to grant our requests for anything that is for our benefit, and specially that he pledges himself
to direct by his counsel, and aid by his providence, every one who honestly labors to promote the cause of true
benevolence and real religion.

If this be so, how important is this subject in its bearing on individual effort. No Christian, though the poorest and

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humblest, ever need despair of doing a noble work for God. He need never wait until he can obtain the co-operation of
the multitude or the wealthy. Let him undertake what he believes to be his duty, on ever so small a scale, and look
directly to God for aid and direction. If it be a seed which God has planted, it will take root, grow, and bear fruit,
“having seed within itself.” “It is better to trust in God than to put confidence in man; it is better to trust in God than to
put confidence in princes.” A multitude of cases can be adduced to prove that this course is in harmony with the designs
of God. It is abundantly shown in the case of Mr. Müller. Take the case of Robert Raikes. Suppose that he had
established no school until a powerful association, formed from ecclesiastical dignitaries, millionaires, and the multitude,
had united in his support, his effort could hardly have escaped ridiculous failure. On the contrary, he simply established
a school by himself. It was a seed which God had planted, and its fruit now shakes like Lebanon.

On the contrast which is seen between the plan of Mr. Müller and the plans by which our missionary and other
benevolent operations are conducted, it is unnecessary to enlarge. If Mr. Müller is right, I think it is evident that we are
all wrong. We cannot go into this subject in detail. We may, however, be permitted to remark, that the means which are
frequently employed to secure the approbation and pecuniary aid of worldly men, in carrying forward the cause of
Christ, are intensely humiliating. It would seem as though God was the last being to be relied on in carrying forward the
work which he has given us to do.

But it is time to bring these remarks to a close. We commend this most unpretending of narratives to the thoughtful
consideration of Christians of all denominations. We have greatly overrated the teaching of these facts, if they do not
furnish strong incentives to a life of holy exertion, and impart an unwonted and powerful motive to earnest and believing
prayer.

Providence, December 17, 1860.

FOOTNOTES:

Matthew vii. 7-11.

Luke xi. 13.

Matthew xviii. 19, 20.

Matthew xxi. 21, 22.

Mark xi. 22-24.

John xiv. 12-14.

John xvi. 23, 24.

James v. 16.

James v. 17, 18.

The following brief statistics will show the magnitude of the work already accomplished:—

The number of pupils hitherto instructed in all the day, evening, and Sunday schools, is 13,124. The
whole number of orphans educated within the establishment is 1,153. Of the 700 now in the
Institution, 260 are hopefully pious. Missionaries aided at the present time, 100. Since 1834 there
have been circulated,—Bibles, 24,768; Testaments, 15,100; Psalms, 719; other portions of Scripture,
1,876; or, total, 42,463 Bibles or portions of Scripture. Tracts and books (not pages, but separate
publications), 11,493,174.

Two large buildings have been erected, a third is in the process of erection; the land on which they
stand has been purchased. The expense of the orphan work alone has amounted to £133,528 sterling,
and the expenses are daily increasing.

The contributions by which these expenditures have been met have been sent from every quarter of
the globe. The largest amounts have been, as might be expected, from England, Scotland, Ireland,
and Wales; but to these may be added the Cape of Good Hope, Mt. Lebanon, Demerara, Newport, R.
I., New York, Philadelphia, California, France, Holland, Sardinia, Australia, etc., etc.

THE LIFE OF TRUST.

CHAPTER I.

BOYHOOD AND YOUTH.

1805-1825.

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BIRTH—EARLY DISHONESTY—INSENSIBILITY—CONFIRMATION IN
THE STATE CHURCH—DISSOLUTENESS OF LIFE—THE HARD WAY
OF TRANSGRESSORS—THE GYMNASIUM AT NORDHAUSEN—THE
UNIVERSITY AT HALLE—ROVINGS.

I was born at Kroppenstaedt, near Halberstadt, in the kingdom of Prussia, September 27, 1805. In January, 1810, my
parents removed to Heimersleben, about four miles from Kroppenstaedt, where my father was appointed collector in
the excise.

My father, who educated his children on worldly principles,[11] gave us much money, considering our age. The result
was, that it led me and my brother into many sins. Before I was ten years old, I repeatedly took of the government
money which was intrusted to my father, and which he had to make up; till one day, as he had repeatedly missed
money, he detected my theft, by depositing a counted sum in the room where I was, and leaving me to myself for a
while. Being thus left alone, I took some of the money, and hid it under my foot in my shoe. When my father, after his
return, had counted and missed the money, I was searched and my theft detected.

When I was between ten and eleven years of age I was sent to Halberstadt, there to be prepared for the university; for
my father’s desire was that I should become a clergyman; not, indeed, that thus I might serve God, but that I might have
a comfortable living. My time was now spent in studying, reading novels, and indulging, though so young, in sinful
practices. Thus it continued till I was fourteen years old, when my mother was suddenly removed. The night she was
dying, I, not knowing of her illness, was playing at cards till two in the morning, and on the next day, being the Lord’s
day, I went with some of my companions in sin to a tavern, and then we went about the streets half intoxicated.

This bereavement made no lasting impression on my mind. I grew worse and worse. Three or four days before I was
confirmed, and thus admitted to partake of the Lord’s Supper, I was guilty of gross immorality; and the very day before
my confirmation, when I was in the vestry with the clergyman to confess my sins, after a formal manner, I defrauded
him; for I handed over to him only the twelfth part of the fee which my father had given me for him. In this state of heart,
without prayer, without true repentance, without faith, without knowledge of the plan of salvation, I was confirmed, and
took the Lord’s Supper, on the Sunday after Easter, 1820. Yet I was not without some feeling about the solemnity of
the thing, and stayed at home in the afternoon and evening, whilst the other boys and girls, who had been confirmed
with me, walked about in the fields.

My time till midsummer, 1821, was spent partly in study, but in a great degree in playing the piano-forte and guitar,
reading novels, frequenting taverns, forming resolutions to become different, yet breaking them almost as fast as they
were made. My money was often spent on my sinful pleasures, through which I was now and...